Never mind.  I’m really trying to get away from plans and rules in general, renewing my spirit of getting in touch with my body and its real appetites.  I think I can only handle small rules as a time.  I’m doing the latter half of February without meat, though I’ve cheated a few times that could hardly be helped.  So I’ve changed it to not buying any meat (at the store or restaurants) for the rest of February, or actually until I try all the vegetarian stuff at work, at Canto, and try at least 1 vegetarian restaurant.

I’ve also decided to give up all nut butters (including sunflower seed butter, Trader Joe’s cocoa almond butter, Nutella, and Trader Joe’s amazing cookie butter) for Lent.  I’m not Catholic of course, I just think it’s a good time to try to give something up because there’s the support of a bunch of people giving something up around you.  Plus, nut butters are an unnatural abomination, a distinct sin.  Consequently I love them very much, but the calories add up too damn quickly, way faster than your body can give you feedback about its fullness.  Your brain and mouth are wired to want to shove it in, and your body won’t know how to tell you to stop for at least twenty minutes, in which time you could pound down 1000 calories or more without even feeling that bad.  Giving them up will also mean that for Easter I can buy myself a special treat that I will appreciate all the more.

I’ve gotten back into nightlife, having a social life and whatnot, which means I’ve had to relearn how to do that right.  From now on, I will not drink heavily more than one night in a row (any second day drinking can’t exceed two drinks).  It inevitably leads to not only way too many calories but also horrible indigestion.

I’m trying to be less compulsive at work with the eating, so I will no longer go into the break room before my shift, where I inevitably eat whatever’s around like a wild animal.  I’m also going to take my lunch breaks across the street with a protein bar.  Don’t worry, I’m not trying to go anorexic.  I’ll still undoubtedly eat a bunch of whatever we’re sampling, and I’ll still go into the break room for coffee and water enough to graze on whatever’s back there.  What I won’t be doing is organizing my life around making sure I get to eat everything around, won’t be spending a bunch of my mental time and energy deciding what to buy to maximize the potential of whatever free food is around.  No no no, just a protein bar and some actual time to read on my lunch break.

My workouts now look like this:

Monday: Long run (just got up to 11 miles (yes, in a row, bitches!), next week 12, etc.)

Tuesday: Yoga or tennis on a good day, when it’s warmer basketball will be an option, really any sport will do

Wednesday: Short, faster run (currently 4 miles)

Thursday: Light morning yoga before work (this is my earlier work day when I don’t have as much time for working out)

Friday: Slightly less short, fast run (currently 6 miles)

Saturday: Either the Turbo Kick Boxing Class, Yogalates, or Zumba Class at my gym

Sunday: Either the 10:30 Yoga Class or strength training of some sport